An active runner living in Connecticut, Marc Wolpers has participated in numerous athletic events to benefit charity groups. Through a recent 12-mile bike ride, Marc Wolpers helped support the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation.
Named after a journalist and sportswriter, the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation owes its existence to Walter Winchell, a good friend of Damon Runyon who later died of cancer himself. Today, the foundation continues to fight cancer by funding research with a particular focus on discovering new research scientists willing to innovate and take risks in their work.
These scientists often go on to earn honors in the field. For example, an alumnus of the Damon Runyon fellowship program, Ardem Patapoutian, Ph.D., recently received the 2020 Kavli Prize in Neuroscience for his research.
Dr. Patapoutian had been studying how sensory receptors react to pressure. His participation is related to groundbreaking research on a new field of mechanobiology, specifically two proteins, named PIEZO1 and PIEZO2, that respond to varying levels of pressure. These proteins also help the body distinguish bladder fullness and blood pressure.
Marc Wolpers 